Kelvin Gastelum’s time as a welterweight is apparently over for good after he missed weight today for the third time in his UFC career.
Gastelum (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) was pulled from Saturday’s UFC 205 matchup against Donald Cerrone (31-7 MMA, 18-4 UFC) after he failed to even step on the scale for their 170-pound bout.
“Cowboy” made weight, but Gastelum was apparently nearly 10 pounds over the limit, and he announced on Twitter that he would not compete on the organization’s debut card at Madison Square Garden in New York.
This situation is nothing new for “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner. He came in nearly two pounds overweight for a UFC Fight Night 44 bout with Nico Musoke in June 2014, which he won by unanimous decision. He then missed weight by a staggering nine pounds against Tyron Woodley at UFC 183 in January 2015, a fight he lost by split decision.
The latest issue was apparently the final straw. Gastelum will be forced up to middleweight and never allowed to fight at welterweight again, according to UFC President Dana White.
“I’ll never let him fight at 170 again,” White told FOX Sports. “I think he missed this one by 10 pounds.”
Gastelum hasn’t said much regarding the issues that caused him to pull out of UFC 205. He posted the short statement on social media, but outside of that, the details are scarce.
For Cerrone, however, he already is rumored to be in discussions to be rescheduled for the Dec. 10 UFC 206 card in Toronto, likely against Matt Brown.
For more on UFC 205, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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